Equifax cited a study by Andrew Davidson and Company analyzing the potential effects of moving away from the tri-merge standard in mortgage credit reporting, using VantageScore 4.0 scores across data from three nationwide consumer reporting agencies. The analysis said using three credit files can increase credit score certainty by reducing the risk that lenders miss tradelines or risk indicators. It also said moving away from a standardized median score could increase the risk of score shopping and may affect investor pricing of mortgage-backed securities, with potential impacts on consumer interest rates. Separately, Equifax said it is offering VantageScore 4.0 mortgage credit scores for USD 1 and estimated this could result in more than USD 1 billion in mortgage industry savings.

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